Jay Z’s 6-Part Kalief Browder Doc Drops Trailer, Sets Premiere Date

The documentary of this incredibly sad case will debut on Spike TV.

On any given day, there are many sad stories about innocent young Black men going to jail for something they didn’t do. One of the saddest examples of this is the case of Bronx, New York teenager Kalief Browder.

Hip-hop superstar Jay-Z is producing a 6-part documentary about Browder set to premiere on the Spike TV network.

Jay Z set to produce the docu-series titled “TIME: The Kalief Browder Story,” which will center on the story of Kalief Browder. At only 16-years-old, Browder was arrested in 2010 for second-degree robbery and imprisoned for three years with no conviction – two of which he spent in solitary confinement. His family could not afford the $3,000 bail.

During his imprisonment, Browder maintained his innocence and refused a plea deal. Eventually, he was released in 2013 after his case was dismissed due to so many trial postponements, his accuser left the country.

In January 2015, President Barack Obama wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post urging there be an end to what he called an “overuse” of solitary confinement as prison punishment, which was influenced by the conditions in which Browder lived in while at Rikers.

Six months later, Browder, then 22, hanged himself.

[While discussing the documentary] Jay-Z said, “Kalief Browder is a modern-day prophet; his story a failure of the judicial process. His tragedy has brought atrocities to light and now we must confront the issues and events that occurred so other young men can have a chance at justice.”

After making its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2017, TIME: The Kalief Browder Story, will make its television debut on Spike TV on March 1st at 10 p.m. EST. You can check out the just-released trailer for the documentary BELOW: